Shirley Goode, the BBC's cost-cutting-cook, is back sharing her hints and tips, together with money-saving recipes. Follow her journal and find out what works and what doesn't.

Friday, July 05, 2013

Taking Time (off?)

Thanks Les for the useful info re dried bread crumbs/Panko. Myself dry (aka) stale bread crumbs at room temperature to enable them to soak up more moisture - as when making bread sauce for instance. Do dry the bread in the oven when I want to blitz it down to use as coating when frying.

Today is a bit of a rush due to wanting to take time off to watch Andy Murray's match at Wimbledon this afternoon, most of the morning will be taken up by blind baking pastry cases for teh quiches (these will then be filled and baked tomorrow ready for Saturday ( they eat better if made a day earlier). Also today want to make some madeleines and - if I have time - some macaroons/macarons.

Add to the above watering all the container plants in the garden, doing some weeding, cutting back some bushes, and also a load of laundry (although that washes it by itself once the machine is loaded, all I have to do then is hang it up to dry - but that still takes time), and some housework.

Today looks as thought it will be the start of a promised two week of settled and very hot weather. We hope to have a barbecue, either the end of next week, or the following week. This means getting the garden in order (a tidy house and a tidy garden to impress the guests), not to mention working out what food to serve (buy and prepare). So I'm going to be busy. Not that I mind, but will have to make lists - AND STICK TO THEM - to make sure everything is done (and dusted).

Am even hoping to manage to get a half-hour sit in the sun sometime this afternoon, or perhaps I'll have a five minute sit between collecting each wateringcanful of rain water from the tub.
Hope also the big seagull nesting between the chimney pots of the house at the back will not dive-bomb me as I wander round - this year she has THREE chicks, and because they can't all fit in the nest, she seems to have pushed them out and they sit cuddled together on the roof, still babies and balls of 'fluff', but look very strong. They run to her when she comes back with food to feed them.

A similar thing happened last year when there were two chicks, but only one was pushed onto the roof, the other stayed in the nest. Even though the weather was so bad (gales, torrential rain and not much sun) this time last year, the chick survived and both it and its sibling fledged on the same day. Both B and I took photos of one chick that had its first flight and landed on our lawn - staying there all day - the other had flown to a flat roof next door. Still have the photo on my camera, but it doesn't show a date. Am hoping that B still has his and his does have a date, then we will see if they will fly on the same day this year.

Please excuse me for this very short blog today as am mega-busy (at least by my normal standards due to increasing age) and tomorrow there may be no blog as will have quite a bit of cooking to do - which I wish to do before the day gets too warm (and also want to watch tennis), but if I get a chance I'll just check my email/comments and at least send a reply. There will be no blog on Sunday - that's definite - as I'll be baking a huge batch of scones and more cakes ready for B to take to the club late morning/early afternoon I'd like to be able to just sit down and relax.

Thankfully I managed to make a big batch of Lemon and Lime marmalade, ditto Orange and Ginger, and slightly smaller batch of Strawberry Conserve, all to sell at the 'Tea by the Sea' and if the public don't buy, many members will (they been asking for them), and I've been very good and potted them all up in new jars using new lids.
Am donating all my 'makes and bakes' this time as proceeds for the day are going to charity, but I'm going to ask members if they want more marmalade to return the jars and lids so they can be reused. My way round this 'can't sell in recycled jars' law is for members to hand me 'their' jars and lids and request me to fill them up with my marmalade for them, then they only pay for the marmalade. Otherwise it would cost at least 25p MORE just to cover the cost of a new 8oz jar and its lid - and that's on top of the cost of the marmalade.

May/may not be blogging tomorrow and - if not - my next blog will be published on Monday. Do hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy the good weather that is forecast, even though - by the middle of next week - it will be a lot hotter than we are normally used to. I must bring out our portable fans just in case we need them. For once I'll probably be glad that our living room is always cool. TTFN.

2 Comments:

Re Panko - helpful tip about the different ways to dry bread.Hubby and I always have the same meal so no problems here.Seagull attacked hubby last week while he walked in town. There must have been a chick nearby. The bird gave him a beak shaped gash on top of his head - bled profusely so someone took him to a nearby chemist to be patched up. The gash looked a bit red so I kept an eye on it - never know what germs birds have.I have been reading each day.

Hi Shirley, (it's Tricia from Liverpool again) reading one of your recent blogs about how long people have been with you I have been reading your blog before you decided to move from Leeds. I didnt have cheesepares confidence to comment. Maybe a little selfish in not contributing more. A lot of problems re money and lack of food yours have been the only books that addressed the whole issue of food and saving energy.

About Me

A chatty being, especially anything to do with cookery, and self-sufficiency. Loves the challenge of making the most of what we've got, and spending less each time I take up a new challenge. No age limit to enjoying the fun of it all, so always hoping more and more will be interested in the whole cost-cutting game.